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The Baltimore Ravens will take on the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football tonight with both teams desperate to claim the win as the NFL 2103 regular season builds to its climax. The game will start at 8.40 p.m. ET and will be shown on TV on ESPN. The game can be watched online through live stream - free for ESPN subscribers (details below).

(Photo: Reuters/Jeff Haynes)Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford looks to throw a pass against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter of their NFL football game at Soldier Field in Chicago, October 22, 2012.

The Ravens travel on the road to Detroit on 7-6 and currently in second place in the AFC North. However, if they win tonight they will be just a single game back from the division leaders, the Cincinnati Bengals, who are on 9-5.

The Detroit Lions are also on 7-6 in the NFC North and also in second place behind the Chicago Bears, who are on 8-6. If the Lions win tonight they can reclaim top spot in the division and with just a few weeks left of the season they will not want to let the lead slip to their Chicago rivals.

However, the Lions have been on the slide in recent weeks. Since their 6-3 start to the season they have gone 1-3 to leave them on the fringes of the postseason and far from guaranteed to win the NFC North as many had been predicting a month ago.

In Week 13 they appeared to have turned the corner on their poor run when they thrashed the Green Bay Packers 40-10. However, last week's 20-34 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles has left them in serious trouble and if they do not win tonight they will have given up top spot at the wrong end of the season.

Matthew Stafford will need a big game tonight. This season he is 306 of 525 for 3,976 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has led the Lions to the third rank on pass offense, a category that Detroit is posting 297.2 yards per game. Detroit is also posting 409.6 yards in total per game on average, which also ranks them third in the league.

Meanwhile, the Raiders are on a great run, winning three straight games – a surge that has seen them move up to the fringes of the playoff positions. If they can win out the season it is highly likely that they can complete their amazing turnaround this season, however, a loss tonight will be a huge setback for them.

Joe Flacco is 290 of 488 for 3,238 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Monday Night Football between the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions will start at 8.40 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the ESPN network or online through live stream by clicking here.